Seal-lock



No. 607,260. Patented July I2, |898.

E. H. MDRSE.

SEAL LUCK.

`( -\.pplica.ti0n filed Feb. 23, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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W/TNESSES NVENTOH ,Y1 l l YToc/,ZZ whom it may concer-7e.'

NITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

SEAL-LOCK.l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,260, dated July 12, 1898.

Application tiled February 23, 1898. Serial No. 671,372. (No model.)

Be it known that I, ELvIN HENRY MoRsE, of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Lock and Seal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip-V tion.

This invention relates to improvements in locks and seals therefor; andthe objects areto provide a simple and inexpensive self-sealing bolt for use on ballot-boxes, hinged doors, lids, drawers, and the like which cannot be opened without first breaking the seal, to pro'- vide a simple construction to prevent the picking of the bolt, to provide a seal for the loek or bolt that cannot be counterfeited without detection, and, further, to provide a means of identification for the seal, so thata counterfeit may be readily detected.

I will describe a lock and seal embodying my invention and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l' is a sectional view of a portion of a box, showing my invention as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lockingbolt. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the boltcasing. Fig. 4 is a frontview of the keeperplate and seal, and Fig. 5 is a top view thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a portion of a hinged lid for a box, 2 the rail or jamb, and 3 the stop. Seated iu an opening formed in the rail or jamb is a bolt-casing 4, provided near its outer. end with an interior annular shoulder 5. The end of the casing extends somewhat beyond the surface of the jamb for a purpose to be hereinafter described. -Y

Movable longitudinally in the casing 4 is the locking-bolt G, the reduced end of which projects through the opening in the outer end of the casing, and the bolt is prevented from moving too farv outward by means of the annular shoulder 7, formed thereon, engaging with the shoulder 5. The bolt is held yieldingly outward by means of a coiled spring S, `5o engaging at one end against the 'end wall of the opening in the jamb and at the other end against the bolt. As here shown, the inner portion of the bolt is made tubular, and the lspring passes into the vtubular portion, the

wall of which serves to prevent lateral displacement of the spring.

Movable into a recess 9, formed in the edge of the'lid l,jis the keeper-plate 10, provided with an opening 11 to receive the bolt. -At the lower end, below the opening 11, the plate lO is beveled, as at 12, so that as the lid is closed the beveled surface engaging against the end of the bolt willforce the bolt back until the opening 11 comes in line with the bolt, when the spring forces the bolt outward. The face of the plate'lO is provided with a recess 13,

into which the projected end of the casing 4 may engage. The object of this construction is to prevent the introduction of a wire or other instrument to pick the lock by forcing the bolt back. It may be here stated that the bolt G is preferably made of a non-mag netic metal, such as brass, so that it cannot be drawn out of the keeper by the aid of a magnet.

At the outer end of the plate 10 and extended at right angles thereto is the sealplate 14, adaptedto engage against the outer surface of the lid l.V At the junction 15 of the plates 10 and 14 the metal is preferably made quite thin, so' that the plates may be broken apart at this point when it is desired to open the lid. The plate 14 maybe broken from the platelO by inserting a lever underneath the edge of the plate and prying it upward. .To facilitate the introduction of the end of a lever, I may bevel the under edge of the plate, as at 16.

In operationV the combined keeper and seal is placed in connection with the lid, as plainly shown in the drawings. Then by closing the lid the bolt will be moved inward and then outward into the opening 11.

The combined keeper-plate and seal may be made of any suitable alloy known to and registered by the manufacturers of the registered self-sealing lock, and as any seal or any series of seals is made from acertain registered alloy it is possible to identify the same. Each keeper-plate is to be marked by microscopic characters-such as numbers, letters, or the like-formed in any desired manner to provide for the identification of ezieh individual seal. I have shown smell nninbers 17 on the plate.

Having thus described my invention, I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A lock and seal, comprising :L boit, si keepenplete for the bolt, and zt seal-plate :tttaehed to and adapted to be broken from the keeper-plate before a door or lid, with which the keeper is engaged, een be opened, substnntiztlly as specified.

2. A leek and seal, Comprising zt springpressed bolt, :L keeper-plate adapted to be loosely Connected to a hinged lid or the like, ande seal-plete extended at right angles from the keeper plate mid adapted to engage against the outer surface of the lid or the like, substantially :is specified.

A leek :ind seal, comprising@ bolt-easing seated in L rail or jznnb, and havingits outer end proj eoted beyond the edge surface of the rail or jfl-mb, a keeper-plete having a recess to receive said projected end of the easing, :L seni-plate on the keeper-plate, and a springpressed bolt in the easing to engage in an opening in the keeper-plate, substantially as specified.

4. A loek and seal, comprising a bolt-casing having an interior annular shoulder near its outer end, t bolt in the easing and having :L shoulder to engage against the shoulder of the easing, n spring for pressing the bolt outward, :t keeper-plete for the bolt, and a sealplate on the keeper-plate, substantiall y as specified.

l ELVIN HENRY MORSE.

fitnessesz F. A. IIAYDEN, W. R. MAsoN. 

